Camping For Beginners
by Tracy-Lou
Summary: During the Christmas holidays of their sixth year at Hogwarts the Marauders go on a camping trip with surprising results…  Sirius/Remus slash


Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me; they belong to the amazing J.K. Rowling

Summary: During the Christmas holidays of their sixth year at Hogwarts the Marauders go on a camping trip with surprising results… (Sirius/Remus slash)

A/N: Just a one-shot :)

Camping for Beginners 

Remus sighed deeply as his hiking boots trudged along heavily against the uneven surface of the hilltop they were currently walking across. He was cold, wet and miserable and was beginning to wish he hadn't agreed to go camping with James' family in the first place. Surely his Christmas holidays would have been better spent curled up in front of the fire with a good book and a hot mug of cocoa.

He couldn't complain really though. It was only for the week and then he was content to return home to his parents in time for Christmas dinner involving his Mum's speciality of apple pie and perhaps some hot, delicious butterbeer. Remus' mouth began to water as a result of his daydreams. He felt as though he could almost taste what he was imagining; hot turkey breast, creamy mash…

"Brussels sprouts"

Remus turned around sharply to see one of his best friends, Sirius Black, laughing at him.

"How did you…?" He trailed off when Sirius stopped laughing and instead smirked at him.

"Come on, Moony. I could practically read your thoughts off the back of your head. Plus we all know you love your food…"

"Hey!" Remus protested feebly, knowing it to be true.

Sirius laughed again and put his arm around Remus' shoulders affectionately. Remus shivered involuntarily. Damn weather.

"Do you want my coat?" Sirius offered quietly, not wanting to embarrass Remus in front of the others. Sirius was well aware of his frequent lack of temperature. "It's 'cause you're so damned skinny" he added.

"Stop reading my mind" Remus warned. "And no, I'll be okay, thank you"

Sirius nodded and walked ahead to James. Remus felt the chill where his body heat had left him. Strangely it wasn't only his body which felt the loss.

"Oi, Prongs! Why did your parents have to pick the middle of bloody December to go camping?" Sirius grumbled.

"Because it's less busy than summer. And you didn't have to come you know" James answered coolly.

"I wasn't likely to stay behind at Hogwarts by myself was I?"

"True" James assented. "Keep up, Wormtail" he shouted out behind him.

Peter shuffled closer to the three boys upfront, puffing and wheezing all the way. His face was a very unflattering shade of maroon.

"Are we nearly at the campsite?" He managed to choke out.

"Only another mile or so" James answered, handing Peter a bottle of water.

"I can't even see your parents anymore" Remus commented, staring into the horizon.

"They're pretty fast. Think they wanted to get there before us anyway, set up the campsite and stuff"

"Shame they can't set up our tent as well" Peter observed.

"Where would be the fun in that?" James asked, taking in a deep breath. "Doesn't it make you feel alive being out here?"

Sirius gave him an ironic look. "For the most part of the year we live in Scotland. Do you really think we want to witness even more cold weather on holiday?"

James huffed.

Sirius relented. "Don't worry, Prongs. We'll all have a great time, frostbite and all". Sirius flashed his infamous Black grin at James, who smiled back, seemingly appeased.

Half an hour later the Marauders finally made it to the campsite. James' parents had already miraculously put up their tent and were currently having a cup of tea.

Peter whimpered at the sight of the steaming cup.

"Not yet, Pete. Gotta put up our tent first before it gets too windy" James told him jovially.

Peter groaned.

"Do not fear, dear Wormtail! We have a Black in our midst remember!" Sirius responded enthusiastically.

"And that helps us because…?" Remus asked sarcastically.

"Because, Remus! We Blacks are…well we're…" Sirius' face scrunched up in concentration.

"Bastards?" James asked helpfully, smirking.

Sirius opened his mouth as though he were about to complain but then said: "True" and shrugged.

Approximately forty-five minutes later two man-sized tents had been set up, somewhat haphazardly.

"Remind me again why we're doing this the muggle way and using muggle tents as well?" Sirius complained, collapsing onto the ground in exhaustion.

"It's more fun" James replied, not sounding too convinced himself.

Remus was finally feeling more comfortable however once he had started making himself a cup of tea on their tiny, makeshift oven.

"Tea anyone?" He asked cheerfully.

"Please" Sirius sighed, dragging himself closer to Remus whose outstretched hand held the tantalizing cup.

Remus chuckled and made tea for the other two as well.

"This isn't so bad" Peter commented.

"Wait for the night" Sirius grumbled.

"We'll be fine" James protested. He set his cup down. "Now, who's up for a swim?"

The other three looked blankly at him in response.

"Come on, you know what swimming is!" James jumped to his feet, full of that troublemaker's energy he always seemed to possess.

"Swim where?" Remus asked in confusion.

"Well the lake of course!" James replied cheerfully.

"Aren't there like squids and things in there?" Peter asked worriedly.

"No! That's just Hogwarts. Come on, it'll be a laugh" He looked to Sirius for support.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Padfoot will love it" Sirius glanced around himself to check that James' parents had already left for their hike and then transformed into Padfoot, bounding away happily towards the lake. James followed suit turning into Prongs. Peter remained with Remus however, who thankfully could not become his animal form at will.

When he and Peter arrived at the lake, Sirius was still in his dog form but James had decided to be human for his swim; with unfortunate results.

"Fuck! It's fucking freezing!" He complained, his arms wrapped around his shirtless form.

Peter took off his shoes and socks and dipped a toe into the water. "Ugh! I don't wanna go in there, it's so cold!"

"You don't say!" James yelled sarcastically.

Eventually however through the efforts of James and an overly exuberant Padfoot; Peter had been coerced into entering the lake; albeit in more clothes than James who was only wearing his boxers.

Remus decided to watch from the sidelines on a nearby tree stump. He was still sore from their trek and didn't feel quite as liberated as James did to prance around in his underpants in broad daylight in December no less. He heard a splash nearby and looked up to see Padfoot padding his way towards him. Remus sighed and waited for the onslaught.

Sure enough, Sirius transformed back into himself, wet but still fully clothed.

"Come on, Remus. Get in the water" Sirius pleaded, using his best attempt at puppy dog eyes.

"I'm quite comfortable here, thank you" Remus replied mildly.

"On your own? That's no fun"

"You know I don't mind being alone" Remus argued placidly.

"But we're on _holiday" _Sirius protested, as though this answered everything.

Remus sighed. Sirius really did look keen for Remus to join in. He did find it difficult to say no to Sirius Black…

"Okay fine. Just for a little while" He relented.

Sirius smiled widely and grabbed Remus' wrist, dragging him towards the lake's edge.

"Hang on" Remus stopped, laughing.

"You're right. Can't go in your clothes" Sirius gave him a searching look, as though preparing how best to strip him.

Remus blushed scarlet. "Actually, it's okay. I'm fine in my clothes…"

Sirius wasn't listening however and undid Remus' shoes, took off his socks and belt and pulled down his trousers.

"Sirius!" Remus said, feeling both shocked and appalled.

"Your clothes are too heavy" Sirius reasoned.

"What about you?" Remus countered, looking at Sirius' fully dressed form.

"Good point" Sirius assented, stripping down to his boxers.

Remus didn't know where to look. For some reason the sight of Sirius in just his boxers made him feel very _very _uncomfortable. Sirius seemed to sense Remus' discomfort but misinterpreted it.

"You're lucky I let you keep your shirt" He winked and grabbed Remus' hand this time and dragged him into the shallow end of the lake.

"Shit!" Remus exclaimed, feeling the cold on his bare ankles.

"Man up, Moony" Sirius complained, pulling him further and further into the lake until they were up to their chests.

"It's s-so c-cold" Remus stuttered. He looked across at James who seemed to have recovered from his earlier shock.

"It isn't so bad after a while" He told Remus, swimming up to him. "You've just got to dunk yourself under" he added, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Oh no, I'll be fine" Remus said, stepping backwards in the water. James grinned and suddenly Remus felt a hand on his ankle, yanking him downwards. He yelped and went underwater, glaring down at a grinning Sirius who was also under the water. Sirius was a very talented swimmer; he was the best of all the Marauders. Remus lost sight of him as he lay motionless in the lake. He started suddenly however when he felt a hand unmistakably graze his thigh.

Remus broke the surface of the water and gasped, looking around for the culprit. James and Peter were well into the distance playing with a ball they'd found and throwing it to each other. Sirius was no where to be seen.

Eventually his head popped out of the water however some distance away. He grinned at Remus, took a deep breath and plummeted back down again before Remus could question him.

Once they had frozen themselves adequately, they made their way back to the campsite to wrap themselves up in towels. James' parents had already returned and were making them all some lunch; which consisted of cheese sandwiches and crisps. Mrs Potter was using a cooling charm on their food bag whilst Mr Potter handed out sandwiches to everyone.

Remus took a bite out of his sandwich and glanced sideways at Sirius who was happily munching away as though nothing had happened in the lake. Perhaps Remus hadn't felt a hand there after all; it was entirely possible. It could have even been a fish of some kind. But Remus had been sure it was a hand…

He pushed the thought out of his mind for the remainder of the day. After some unsuccessful fishing and several games of exploding snap, wizarding chess (Peter had insisted he find room for it in his bag) and a few rounds of ordinary muggle card games, the evening started to wane.

Mr Potter had created a rather impressive fire for their party to sit around, all huddled together. Remus was, naturally, freezing again. He kept shivering to himself, arms wrapped tightly around his torso. Thankfully no one seemed to have noticed; he didn't want to trouble anyone. James and Peter were sitting with Mr and Mrs Potter, listening to the tales of their school days and how back then Mr Potter had been quite the prankster and very popular with the ladies. Well, Remus now knew where James had gotten his pranking abilities from but popular with the ladies? Remus didn't think Lilly would support that sentiment.

"Hello" Sirius greeted him suddenly, sitting down on the grass beside him. Remus was painfully aware of how close Sirius had placed himself next to him. Their elbows kept knocking together awkwardly.

"Hi" He replied. Thankfully his teeth weren't chattering. He did give a little shudder however. Sirius noticed immediately.

"Are you cold again? Here" Sirius brought out a blanket from next to him and threw it around his and Remus' shoulders, wrapping it tightly at the front to prevent too much of the chill creeping in. He clearly realised earlier that he would need it.

"Thanks" Remus muttered, a little embarrassed. He glanced over at the rest of their group but they were all seemingly oblivious. Once he turned back he was startled to see Sirius looking at him intently. "What?" He asked nervously.

"You look different at night" Sirius mused.

"How so?" Remus asked, wondering where this conversation was heading.

"I dunno... sort of angelic I guess. You look less pale and the firelight makes your skin glow and your hair sort of just…" Sirius trailed off, apparently concerned he had said too much.

Remus looked at him questioningly. "In the lake, was it you who-" Remus was cut off however when James and Peter returned, towering over the two of them.

"You look very cosy" James commented, raising his eyebrows pointedly at Sirius.

"Shut up" Sirius murmured. Remus was surprised to see his skin turn red. Sirius Black, blushing? Now that was a rare sight.

"Well we're knackered after today so we're turning in" James commented, yawning for emphasis. "We'll take this tent; you two can have the other one"

Remus was surprised. Surely James would want to share with Sirius? "He's the only one who can abide Peter's snoring, you know he falls asleep straight away" Sirius whispered into Remus' ear. Remus nodded, feeling oddly reactionary to the way Sirius' breath felt against his skin.

The tent was fairly roomy, for a muggle one. It was very dark however and incredibly windy.

"I hope the tent doesn't blow away" Sirius said, half-joking.

"Same here" Remus replied warily.

They settled into their sleeping bags which thankfully weren't too close together. For some reason Remus thought that being in too close proximity would have been highly uncomfortable. It had been a strange and tiring day and all Remus wanted to do was fall asleep and forget it all.

"Night" Sirius mumbled, turning over in his sleeping bag away from Remus.

"Night" Remus whispered.

Remus lay there for a long time, unable to get relaxed or comfortable. He didn't know whether it was the lack of a bed or the wind which was getting increasingly louder by the minute or the fact that he was _so _cold. He'd worn as many layers as possible to bed, including his scarf and still he felt absolutely freezing. Distantly he could hear Peter snoring from his own tent and James' late night mumblings which often revolved around Lilly Evans.

Strangely he couldn't hear anything from Sirius. Perhaps the other boy wasn't quite asleep yet. Remus could sympathise; he didn't expect to fall asleep for a while yet. Remus attempted to think warm thoughts and curled into a ball to keep his body as warm as possible. Nothing seemed to be keeping the chill away however.

"You're cold again"

Remus started and sat up onto his elbow. "Sirius?" He asked, unable to see in the darkness of the tent where his friend was.

"I'm here" Sirius whispered.

Remus was alarmed at how close Sirius was. He could practically feel his breath across his face.

"What are you doing?" Remus whispered back.

"Couldn't sleep" Sirius admitted. "Doesn't help when all I can hear is you shivering your nuts off"

"I'm fine" Remus protested. But the next moment Sirius had crawled into Remus' sleeping bag beside him.

"Sirius!" Remus exclaimed in shock but Sirius shushed him.

"Look you're cold and I can't sleep so this might benefit us both"

Remus was about to ask how Sirius in his bed would benefit Sirius but he thought the better of it. He had to admit that he felt much warmer having another body beside him.

It was difficult to get into the right position at first; there wasn't really enough room for them to lie on their backs so they both lay on their sides, facing each other.

"Remus" Sirius murmured shyly.

"Yes?" Remus asked, curious as to why the mighty Sirius Black would be feeling shy.

"I think…" He began. "I mean I know…" He hesitated a moment. "Oh fuck it". Remus suddenly felt a pair of lips over his own. He was stunned into inactivity at first. This couldn't be right, shouldn't feel so right. But it did. Sirius' mouth was warm and inviting and Remus couldn't help but succumb to it. He allowed Sirius to kiss him, even opened his mouth a fraction to allow his tongue entrance. It was quite clear that Sirius was hungry for this. After several moments Remus was surprised to find himself kissing Sirius back just as hungrily. Sirius moaned against his mouth and pressed his body closer to Remus'. Remus enjoyed the closeness, all discomfort flown from his mind and instead focused on this one defining moment of two friends discovering sensations they never believed possible; feelings that had lay dormant for so long but were only now coming to the surface. And all it had taken was a camping trip, a tent and one freezing boy desperately in need of the warmth of his shining star, his Sirius.


End file.
